


a heart that's crystallized

by teaforest



Series: nacre [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: (non-graphic), Gen, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Psychological Horror, murder or suicide? it's a mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-09-27 14:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17163599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaforest/pseuds/teaforest
Summary: Two different men of great wealth and/or influence come into the Katsuki family's lives at two different points they're in need of answered prayers.The question, though, is this: when making deals with higher powers, how can mere mortals tell the difference between returned kindness and a paid-forward investment?





	a heart that's crystallized

**Author's Note:**

> I mentioned before I had a psychological horror fic on my hard drive. Well, here's how it starts! ~~i need the catharsis at this point istg~~
> 
> This is more of a prelude/teaser than anything, but it does contain a solid amount of backstory so that things are less... exposition-y when a specific part happens.

[An image of a conference hall filled with businessmen in sharp suits, all with severe, sharp expressions... save one. The one who does not look as grave has a relatively neutral look to his face, although if someone were to look closely the flat line of his mouth might actually be upturned at the corner. At the center of the table on an overhead projection, a large arrangement of funeral flowers set in front of it, is an image of an older man in a fine suit of his own, a similar small smile on his lips and what seems to be a faint twinkle in his eye.

The image is captioned: _The conference where the news of who would succeed Araki after his death. Dated March 12, 2000._ ]

 

 

> **DID GIL TECH CHAIRMAN ARAKI SUCCUMB TO SICKNESS OR FOUL PLAY?**
> 
>      TOKYO -- Araki Koushirou (67), the man behind the foundation of GIL Technologies, was found in his quiet Meguro home last Thursday afternoon, where paramedics called time of death late Wednesday night.
> 
> While this tragedy alone would be enough for mourning, new information has come up that sends a chill down the spines of those who knew the ailing entrepreneur.
> 
> It was announced at this Saturday evening's conference that Araki's nephew, Shirogane Hidehiko (25), would be succeeding Araki in his position instead of another board member. This seemed to surprise everyone but Shirogane, who remained calm among his elders and superiors when the news broke.
> 
> Perhaps this alone wouldn't be enough for suspicion, but forensics have uncovered traces of poison in autopsy. Though we are told his cause of death was asphyxiation, is there not a chance his worsening health was used as a convenient cover for an opportunistic killer?
> 
> _(See more, page 14)_

 

* * *

 

"Honey, please stop reading such miserable things where the children can see."

"Fine, fine." Toshiya sighed and folded the paper shut, pressing his mouth into a weak smile as his teenage daughter sulked into the family dining area with their young son thrown over her shoulder. "Ah, Mari. Having fun with Yuuri, are we?"

"Yep," Mari said dryly as Yuuri whined and huffed an equally sulky, "No."

Hiroko turned to look over her shoulder at her children, eyes crinkling at the corners. "Was Yuuri trying to sneak out to Minako's place early again?"

"Duh."

"I-I wasn't!"

Toshiya snorted a laugh. "Yuuri, you can go after chores. That way Minako-san doesn't get in trouble for letting you dance too much. Okay?"

Yuuri made a face like he wanted to argue, but he bit his tongue and muttered a quiet ' _Okay_ ' in return. Toshiya laughed again and reached over to ruffle his son's hair as Mari plopped him down on the floor so she could take her own seat.

Breakfast was a little richer than usual, a fresh batch of dashi flavoring the miso and the char of the fish that had just come in season. Hiroko tried to slip Yuuri a few extra pieces, clucking about how he needed the energy for as much as he ran around, but Mari kept distracting him and snatching them for herself. He caught her in the act once, cheeks puffing angrily and trying to intercept her with his own chopsticks, but ended up flailing when she poked his forehead and pushed back with a toothy grin. Toshiya had to intercept at that point, recognizing the fiery spark in Yuuri's eyes as a warning for an incoming scuffle.

As Toshiya got up to finish getting ready for the day, he noted the car lingering outside the gates. He stood still, squinting out the window as a young man with short hair and fine clothes stepped out, an obvious irritation coming off him even from this distance.

"Hiroko," he called. It took a moment, but as she approached with her hands full of the first crate of warm handtowels he pointed out the young man to her. "Do you think he's a client?"

Hiroko hummed softly to herself, pursing her mouth and furrowing her brow in thought. "I suppose so? Why do you think he's waiting outside like that, though?"

"Who knows." Toshiya clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Well, if he is we should get ready for him. Mari is going out soon to get her uniform for school, right?"

"And Yuuri is going with her so he can give our orders to the fishmongers and the teahouse," Hiroko confirmed with a nod.

Though their children were well-behaved, some out-of-town clients had a distaste for them even being around. While neither of them could understand the feeling, they still had to accommodate for it where they could. For now, that meant keeping the kids busy upstairs and having them leave through the family entrance so they wouldn't disturb the potential new customer. If he decided to return, then they could see if he was one of _those_ types.

Toshiya smiled weak at Hiroko before reaching over to squeeze her hand and slipping away to descend the stairs to the main lobby of the facility, straightening his jinbei and heading for the main entrance to unlock the doors. As he turned to head into the office to get the papers sorted, the door slid open and Toshiya looked up, remembering the irritation he'd seen in the young man and bracing himself for misdirected rudeness.

A heavy sigh and the click of soles against the stone tile of their entrance was all the noise the young man made as he stepped inside, stuffing a mobile phone into his blazer pocket. He stood taller than Toshiya, broad in form and stoic as he looked up and met Toshiya's eyes.

"Forgive my intrusion," said the young man before Toshiya could greet him properly. "But let me not waste your time or more of mine by asking if you'll have a problem with my being here. You see, I'm trying to relax and celebrate a promotion, but unfortunately, a lot of drama surrounds it and I have been asked to leave every other onsen in this town because of it."

Ah, Toshiya thought. So that's why the young man seemed so irritated. Though it was strange, he would have thought Miura or Yanagi would've taken him in, with how overly proud of their longstanding history in Hasetsu they were...

"It's no trouble," Toshiya insisted. It was their loss that they let some rumors chase away business, he figured. That and the young man seemed to have good manners and sense to him, so it wasn't like he'd be a huge problem to deal with even if they were right about him. "Let's see if we can't get you settled in quick. I'm sure you're tired from your trip!"

"Oh, I'm definitely exhausted," said the young man, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "I had to take the trains all the way here from Tokyo since I'm not cleared to fly just yet. Ah, traveling that long is awful."

Toshiya paused as he looked up at the young man in surprise. "Wow, that's such a long way! No wonder you'd prefer an onsen over someplace more crowded!"

He tried to do the math in his head as he turned to grab a key off the wall. Roughly seven hours of train travel and who knew how long he'd been going from inn to inn and getting turned away at the door each time? It was no wonder the young man was so annoyed and wanted to streamline this as much as possible! No one needed to be traveling like that in this day and age!

"Indeed," sighed the young man, but he seemed to relax the slope of his shoulders as Toshiya turned back around to present him with his room key and a set of jinbei. "Ah, here's that small-town kindness I was looking for. You are truly a godsend, Katsuki-san."

Toshiya laughed. "It's no trouble! Thank you for your patronage, good sir!"

The young man looked at him, golden-brown eyes cool and intelligent, and he smiled thin. For some reason, he looked strangely familiar in that moment.

"That's right," the young man hummed as he bowed his head small and short. "I never properly introduced myself. How rude of me."

And it was only upon hearing that name when Toshiya realized why the other innkeepers turned the young man away, but by then it was too late to do the same.

"My name is Shirogane," he said simply, and Toshiya nearly startled as his memory flashed back to the folded-up newspaper he'd left in the family area upstairs. "Shirogane Hidehiko."

 

* * *

 

"If I'd known this was why you had Mari and Yuuri stay over at my place all afternoon, I'd have insisted they stay with me until that man was _gone_."

Hiroko flinched as she glanced over her shoulder towards the young man calmly nursing a cup of warmed shochu, picking apart the boiled firefly squid he'd ordered. He'd already pulled off the eyes of each of them on his plate, claiming to enjoy them too much to be lost among the rest of the squid's savory taste.

Minako, with her own bottle of shochu set in front of her, had her eyes narrowed at him and a faint curl of a snarl on her lips. Hiroko couldn't really understand, but Minako was the more traveled one between them. Maybe she just didn't trust wealthy men?

"His uncle just died, senpai," Hiroko reminded her gently, replacing the dish of edamame Minako had emptied to pace her drinking out with something a little heartier. "I'm sure that he's just not the type to grieve in public."

"His uncle had been poisoned then suffocated," Minako hissed at her. "And then right after, _he's_ instated as the new chairman? That doesn't strike you as suspicious at all?"

Of course it was weird; Hiroko wasn't stupid, even if she'd grown up in this small seaside town far away from such big-city drama. But the weight of the accusations against a young man in his mid-twenties, the same age Hiroko had been when she'd found she was pregnant with her and Toshiya's second child -- no, she couldn't believe them. She'd been bubbling over with life and cheer at that age, not at all the stoic fatalism Shirogane seemed to have adopted as a coping mechanism. How could anyone choose that sort of mindset willingly unless he, too, was miserable deep down?

"Even so, he's a paying client who needs a place to stay and good food in his stomach," Hiroko insisted. "I'm not... I won't say that I want Mari or Yuuri to spend time with him, but treating someone like they're guilty because of an unlucky coincidence? No, I won't do that either."

"Hiroko," Minako begged, wrapping long fingers around her wrist and squeezing. "Promise me you won't let him near them. Men like that, they can't be trusted. If he could talk his way out of lockdown in Tokyo to even get here when he's still being investigated, then he's more than capable of manipulating people far more forgiving."

The warning was clear even without her childhood friend saying so: Hiroko and Toshiya had to be careful of him, too.

Hiroko straightened and smiled down at Minako weak but warm. "Thank you. We'll be fine, I promise."

The other clientele mostly left Shirogane alone at his table, the elders mumbling about how the young man had an odd presence and keeping a respectful distance. Only some, like Minako, kept suspicious eyes on him as much as they could, quiet as they observed him eating and drinking in relative peace.

Beyond that awkwardness, though, Shirogane was exceptionally polite. Hiroko wasn't sure if it was his more cultured upbringing or his natural disposition, but he was meticulous as he cycled through bites of his food and slurps of his soup. He hummed in appreciation for the flavors, but never did so much as a drop of liquor or a grain of rice fall out of place.

The wealthy really were on another level, she thought to herself to shake off the unnerved feeling it gave her. She could never hope to compare.

Walking away from Minako to check on the rest of the clients in the dining area, refilling drinks as she went and a few regulars raised their cups for her, Hiroko found herself gravitating towards Shirogane and smiling wanly as he pushed his cleaned plate away to properly nurse his drink. He didn't seem bothered by the fact he was alone, but even so... "Are you enjoying yourself, Shirogane-san?"

"I am, thank you." Shirogane pulled away from his cup with a faint smile, the light of the dining area's lanterns gleaming off his eyes to make them seem even more golden in color. He really was a handsome young man; it was a shame he was all alone because of such an ugly rumor. "Tell me if you can, Katsuki-san -- is it always so slow here? I would have thought such welcoming people would have more clientele knocking at their door."

Hiroko flushed in spite of herself. "It's no trouble at all! As for that, well... it's not as if we're the only onsen in Hasetsu, you see. And we're a bit out of the way, too, I'm sure you've noticed."

"Indeed," Shirogane said. He carefully tilted his cup up, and Hiroko bent to pour him more. "So it's just you and your husband, then? Even with relatively slow business, that's a lot to take on without some insurance."

It took a moment for Hiroko to understand what Shirogane meant, but when she did she had to laugh weakly to smother the flutter of unease at her throat. "Oh, that's not going to be an issue with us. We have two children. It's just that they're still young enough that we can't really ask them to help out more than a few menial tasks, that's all!"

She wondered briefly if she was talking too much, but Shirogane nodded along to her explanation and said little else on the matter. She was able to finish refilling drinks and check back into the kitchen, debating whether or not to allow Mari and Yuuri downstairs at all. Yuuri loved the springs, though, and from the way he winced when he put weight on his left foot he could certainly use it tonight.

Maybe a quick dip, she'd conceded to herself. Yuuri's anxious nature meant he was very good at sneaking around to avoid attention, and it'd only be fair to allow Mari the same treatment.

Yuuri looked relieved when Hiroko took the opportunity to sneak upstairs and tell them they could use the springs tonight, after all, his exposed ankle puffed up and red from the fall Minako had warned her about earlier. He nearly hopped for his room to grab his things, Mari snipping after him to slow down and avoid knocking both his legs useless for a few days. Yuuri stuck his tongue out at her before scrambling down the stairs as fast as he could manage, and Hiroko sighed and laughed as Mari groaned and gave her a look that spoke volumes about what she thought of Yuuri's attitude.

"Keep an eye on your brother," was all Hiroko could tell her with an affectionate pat to her cheek. "Honestly, if he weren't so shy he'd probably get into more fights than you do!"

"That's the only reason he survives Minako-san's classes, I swear," Mari groused before turning to grab her own things for her bath. "No matter how catty the girls get with him, he's more stubborn than they are."

Leaving her children to their baths, Hiroko returned downstairs to a tenser atmosphere. Toshiya's stepped out of the office, shoulders stiff as he stood between a disinterested Shirogane and a half-drunk and increasingly irritated regular from the more urban parts of Hasetsu scowling at him from his own table. The news blared on the TV, the reporters repeating the horrible news she'd scolded Toshiya for reading around their children just that morning.

Her lips pressed together, Hiroko stepped forward and asked, as firm and kind as she could manage, "What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?"

"You know what the problem is!" said the regular, snarling as he pointed at Shirogane's back. "Why is this monster here? You shouldn't harbor a criminal on the run, Hiroko-san!"

Toshiya barked out an incredulous laugh Hiroko knew better than to believe. "Now, Ishida-san, that's crazy talk. A man can't celebrate a promotion anymore? Let him enjoy himself while he's young!"

"What's to enjoy?" the regular insisted, narrowing his eyes as Shirogane continued to ignore him for his alcohol. "It's not as if he got that promotion fair and square! He killed his uncle for it! He'll kill you two, too! Just watch, you'll see!"

"Ishida-san," Hiroko bit out, hoping desperately neither of the kids heard that. Even if she couldn't necessarily stop Mari from finding out, she wanted to avoid Yuuri becoming too fearful to leave his room. Or, if Minako had her way, from coming home until Shirogane was long gone. "Please be careful of what kind of accusations you throw. Those are words that could destroy lives."

"The only life that needs to be destroyed here," the drunken man snapped, "is _his_ for everything he's done!"

They had no choice but to remove him from the grounds, and Hiroko watched Toshiya go as he dragged him off for the doors and frowned in disappointment at the gruff fellow businessman who still insisted on speaking ill of the young man who'd stayed silent through that whole ordeal.

"Shirogane-san, I am so sorry," Hiroko told him immediately, guilt twisting knots in her gut. "I don't know what came over him. I can assure you, you're welcome here for as long as you need."

He said nothing at first, his eyes tracking the two men out the door. When he spoke again his voice was deceptively light, a hint of an edge that made Hiroko wring her hands.

"Imagine vacationing on the other side of the country and still hearing that nonsense." Shirogane set down his cup, tongue clicking in distaste. "Do you think me a bad person too, Katsuki-san? Just because I do not publicly mourn my uncle, who was so miserable with his illness he was barely himself in his last days?"

So it was like Hiroko suspected. "Of course not!" she insisted. Shirogane hummed a noise of disbelief, and she persisted with, "Shirogane-san, you've given us no reason to believe anything we might've heard or read. How could we?"

Except Hiroko, swallowing her guilt, knew better than to believe her own words.

She'd been uneasy around Shirogane all day, and so had Toshiya. They silently agreed to keep Mari and Yuuri away from him for more than their usual attempts to avoid upsetting an out-of-town customer who might not be fine with children. Minako and all her worldliness thought him too suspicious to blindly trust, and so Hiroko chose to trust her and her intuition. And yet Shirogane had been nothing but well-mannered and mild-tempered, every bit the picture-perfect young businessman he was. Did that make them any better than the others who'd treated him so coldly since he arrived?

In her mind Hiroko sent an apology to Minako, who she could see out of the corner of her eye stiffening and scowling at her, shaking her head. Doing this was the least she could do to prove she and Toshiya didn't think him the monster everyone else seemed to. As Toshiya started walking back towards them, a look of tired acceptance on his face, it seemed they'd come to the same conclusion.

"I deeply apologize for what happened," Toshiya said as he approached, bowing his head low. "If you'd allow me and my wife to compensate you, we would like to know if you'd be comfortable with our children being present? The atmosphere's gotten too serious for this place, and they are good for lightening the mood!"

From around the corner, Hiroko could see Mari and Yuuri peer at them with bewildered expressions as they paused mid-turn for the stairs. Mari's nose wrinkled as she seemed to recognize Shirogane and tightened her grip on Yuuri's wrist. Yuuri huffed and tugged back, but the nervous knit of his brow betrayed his own impressions of what was going on.

Shirogane followed her line of sight and raised a brow, some of the cool curiosity from earlier returning to his golden eyes.

"Is that them?" he asked. "I was expecting for them to be younger when you spoke of them."

Hiroko colored and pressed a hand to her mouth to hide her laugh. "We, ah, might have had our first young. She's just starting high school, so..."

"I see. Young love at work?" Toshiya coughed at the twitch of an upturn to Shirogane's lip. "Well then. That's a very convincing argument to see for myself, isn't it?"

Hiroko and Toshiya paused and blinked at each other, then turned to Shirogane. "You mean...?"

"Yes," Shirogane said, the first crack of a proper smile on him since he arrived earlier this morning. "I accept your offer of apology."

 

* * *

 

They don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but Ishida -- the regular who'd snapped and swore Shirogane was guilty of the crimes he was being investigated for -- had his own dirty laundry dragged out not a year after Shirogane started to be considered a regular himself. The gossip and dirty looks got so bad Ishida had to close his shop and leave town with his tail between his legs, and people clucked about how it was always the most guilty ones who tried to shift the blame to others.

When Shirogane himself found out, he'd considered the news before giving a small huff of a laugh. "Everyone gets what they deserve in the end," he answered. His uncle's death had ultimately been ruled a suicide, the last-resort desperation of a man trying to regain control of his own body. No one was charged, and Shirogane stoically took the reins handed to him in his late uncle's last will and testament. "May he find the sort of goodwill and charity I'd found here, wherever he ends up."

They'll never know for sure what happened. They're almost scared to ask, especially as the other onsen throughout town started to falter under the changing times and they, miraculously, stood strong.

What's more was Shirogane's obvious bias, once he got to know Mari and Yuuri during his monthly visits back to their onsen. While Mari grew warier and warier, keeping at arm's length from Shirogane regardless of whatever he did, he'd developed a particular fondness for Yuuri. They weren't sure if he knew they were aware of the extra trinkets and souvenirs he'd slip Yuuri from Tokyo, but the businessman-turned-chairman seemed determined to ensure that Yuuri's ambitions of becoming an ice skater would come to fruition.

Of course, it would take a different approach to kick Yuuri into high gear with training, but by that point, he had the connections to charge forward and make up for time lost doing bit roles in ice shows. And Shirogane, ever supportive, made sure he wanted for nothing from the very beginning.

Years down the line -- many, _many_ years down the line -- the Katsuki family would see the difference in Shirogane's calm slip into their lives versus the way another wealthy, influential young man with an interest in their youngest child would stumble through.

With Mari grown at thirty and no romantic prospects to speak of, and Yuuri at twenty-three with a similar lack of love life, the days of ushering children through the back and side entrances were long gone. Toshiya saw no point in maintaining those old habits, and beyond that Yuuri had become very avoidant since his return. Especially over the past few days, after some kind of nonsense happened online concerning him that he was far too embarrassed over when Minako huffed and fumed over it before shoving her phone in their faces, showing them how they needed to encourage Yuuri to get back on his training regimen because she was not going to let him go to waste due to his anxious nature.

(The truth, of course, was that Minako wanted to beat Shirogane to Yuuri, because Shirogane would undoubtedly send his own hired help to assist Yuuri if he didn't make a decision of his own soon. Even after all these years, Minako's never let go of her suspicions of Shirogane's hand in his uncle's death. They've long since given up trying to change her mind.)

So to say the handsome foreigner sheepishly poking his head in through the door of the onsen, the early spring snow gathered on his shoulders and hair, was a surprise was something of an understatement.

The young man looked painfully familiar, even his accent as he attempted (and horribly butchered) Japanese itching at Toshiya's ears. It was the dog slipping in with him, shaking off snow sticking to its pale chocolate coat, that clued him in when Toshiya blinked and looked between the poodle and the young man's very pale, very European features.

"Oh, you're Yuuri's Victor!" Toshiya exclaimed, thinking of the posters and magazines and the heartbreak in his son's eyes when he watched sports news reports covering Russia's events.

This seemed to be the magic word, because the careful charm the young man was curating shattered in an instant as something bright and hopeful burst to life in the young man's blue eyes, smile curving wide as he nodded fervently and repeated Yuuri's name, pointing down to the floor and insisting he wanted to stay.

Well, Minako wanted them to encourage Yuuri to get out and get back to his training. How better than by having the man he admired so much stay with them?

They only had a handful of rooms anymore, the largest and most comfortable still exclusively reserved for Shirogane though he hadn't visited since last November, as busy as he was with his company's assets in Tokyo. With business being how it was, Toshiya couldn't afford to risk upsetting Shirogane by having someone else take his room, but the other rooms weren't really suitable for longer stays. He'd have to talk with Hiroko about where to set this young man up, or at least until he found a more comfortable place to settle if Toshiya heard the word 'coach' right.

Mari was actually the second one down to see what the cheery commotion was about, and the second she saw Victor in the entrance she froze, blinked, then muttered a ' _nothing happened, my ass_ ' under her breath. Hiroko was right behind her, and Toshiya could see the way her heart bled for the young foreigner in a strange land with only an apparent, vague promise to hold onto.

"Where are we putting him?" he asked her as Mari led Victor towards the men's baths, carefully explaining the bathing process in slow English along the way. "Foreigners always complain our rooms are too small for them, and our biggest is the one Shirogane uses. We can't give that one up, not when he comes by without much warning."

"That's true," Hiroko sighed, reaching down to brush some of the stubborn ice clinging to Victor's dog's curls. The old poodle, ten times their Vicchan's size, grumbled in appreciation and leaned against her leg with a fitful sigh. "Hm, but he said he was here for Yuuri, didn't he? We haven't used the banquet room upstairs for years, and with it being right next to Yuuri's room and Yuuri's the one who speaks the best English out of all of us anyway..."

Toshiya scratched his chin. The old banquet room upstairs _was_ a good size, better suited to a foreigner's sense of personal space. And with it technically being part of the family area, it was also more private; the last it was used was years ago when Yuuri was still largely meeting with Shirogane here instead of at official functions. "It would need to be cleaned up by nightfall. He seems tired from all the flying he must've done to get here, especially since he probably got lost a few times trying to find this place."

"As long as we can keep him downstairs with the springs and food, Mari and I should be able to do it," Hiroko insisted, a stubborn set to her eyes. She looked around at the tile of the entrance and clicked her tongue. "And the poor dear, having to trudge through all that snow and ice. I really should have Yuuri clear the path, since he's got better footing than we do."

None of them knew what would transpire in the months to come as Mari came back with a sigh and Hiroko told her to let Victor's dog back outside to play so the sight of it wouldn't depress Yuuri right back into his room. None of them knew how much their lives would change as Yuuri trudged down the stairs with heavy shoulders and shuttered eyes, or the painful way he stilled and smiled when the dog ended up pouncing on him anyway. None of them knew, even as Yuuri's eyes bugged behind his glasses and he scrambled for the men's baths despite Toshiya calling for him in bewilderment, even the dog whining in confusion.

But by the end of the first night, Victor dozing on the mats of the dining area with a healthy flush from the springs on his pale skin and Hiroko preening at how he'd scarfed down her cooking like he'd never eaten anything better in his life (knowing the way Yuuri tortured himself every year when he needed to maintain the too-skinny build of a competitive athlete, he probably hadn't) they certainly knew this: something was going to change, for better or for worse, and there was nothing any of them could do to stop it.

 

* * *

 

Mari nearly had a heart attack when Victor showed her the folded slip of paper he'd found in one of their old books.

She snatched it up before he could finish asking, peeking inside for confirmation and making a face when she recognized the layout. Yep, it'd been exactly what she thought it was. She knew her dad hadn't put it away properly, wanting to forget it ever existed; she just figured he'd have stuffed it deep in their file boxes, not their bookshelf.

"Don't worry about it," she tried to tell Victor, but just like Yuuri was prone to when told that, he went and did the opposite.

"I can read Yuuri's name on that, you know," Victor huffed, a hip cocked with a hand braced on it. "I know it has to do with him, and as his coach--"

"--it's got nothing to do with his career so it's not really your problem." She stuffed it into her jinbei and wished she could turn a blind eye to the way the man wilted in hurt. She sighed, clicking her tongue. "Even if we ignore your less-than-subtle attempts to get in my brother's pants, it's a family issue. That's all."

If possible, Victor looked even more hurt by her comment. "I'm not trying to get in his pants!"

Mari gave him a flat look.

Victor stared back at her blankly before backtracking with, "I'm not saying I'm against the idea, but that's more of a bonus than anything."

"You're fooling no one, Poster Man," Mari deadpanned at him. Leave it to Yuuri to manage to capture the interest (professional or otherwise) of the one person he'd give anything in the world to notice him and _still_ decide that he has to be dreaming it all up. Self-sabotaging idiot. "Look, this thing? It's never going to happen. Yuuri's too proud and too loyal to ever accept it. That's why I'm saying you shouldn't worry about it."

Even at his worst, Yuuri wouldn't agree to the terms. If he did, he'd have never come home from the shame of it. Shirogane could try his best to steal Yuuri away from them with all his fancy contracts and adoption forms and bribes, but if he actually knew Yuuri like he claimed to, he'd know that there was very little even Shirogane's resources could offer him that he'd accept.

As much as Yuuri thought he owed Shirogane for helping his career get off the ground, it was never going to be enough to make him believe the only way to repay that "kindness" was to turn his back on his own flesh and blood. Yuuri feigned ignorance when he didn't want to deal with something and was sometimes even genuinely clueless, but he wasn't a total, selfish idiot.

Especially considering Mari had as much reason to believe the rumors lingering around the creep as she did back when he first showed up sixteen years ago, because Mari still remembered the sharp sting of a strong liquor gifted to her dad from overseas the same night Shirogane and his legal-lackeys Amano and Enma tried to present this very document. There was no way that was a coincidence, especially when Shirogane kept pushing that damn deal year after year.

Although, that did bring up another point of contention that Mari should probably clear up before Yuuri's idea of "being too troublesome to burden someone else with" blindsided Victor here.

She flicked the paper again to catch Victor's attention, and when he blinked away his pout she added, "Honestly, the only thing about this that you should probably know is the attorney who's going to be trying to guilt-trip Yuuri over it. He has a tendency of stalking Yuuri's competitions and cornering him to try and pressure him into accepting it. And he never fails to be an ass about it, either."

At that, Victor froze and gave her such a bewildered look she almost felt sorry for springing this on him herself. "What? Why in the world...?"

"Because he's a shithole of a person." Mari's fingers itched for her menthols, but she refrained and pressed on. "The only reason we know about it ourselves is because Yuuri's old coach called Minako -- pissed off to all hell over it, mind you -- to ask about him years ago. And we know for a fact he gets at least one opportunity every year at nationals, since that's when Yuuri has to meet the guy's boss for their annual meetings, but it's often more than that."

During her explanation Victor's face leveled into a cool expression, the only indication of how he was taking it the increasing sharpness of his eyes and the furrow of his brow. Mari could only hope that didn't mean Amano had showed up at Sochi while Yuuri was so vulnerable because of Vicchan's untimely passing. Having to face him twice in a month would be all kinds of unfortunate.

"I see." Victor tapped the curl of his finger to his lip. "So how would I know he's around? I'm sure someone like that's already garnered enough of a reputation with ISU and JSF officials that I'd get some kind of warning."

Mari snorted. Oh, did Amano have a reputation.

"If you hear anything about amanojaku, it's him." Mari explained. "He's very true to his nickname, if you read up on the folktales about them."

"I'll be sure to do that," Victor assured her, clutching the book he'd found the document in tighter. A poetry collection, it looked like, which made sense for her dad to hide it in. How typical of these artsy types, though considering how eloquent Victor was in English and was likely more so in his actual native Russian, it probably bothered him to be so rudimentary in Japanese. "As much as I like surprises, I prefer that they're fun ones."

Mari shrugged. "Good luck with that." As she turned to leave with intent on reminding her dad to put away these kinds of papers properly, she stopped when another thought occurred to her. "Oh, and by the way? Don't mention this talk to Yuuri."

Victor hummed in acknowledgment before pausing and frowning. "Why would I need to keep this from him?"

"You've seen how he is," Mari huffed. "He takes any kind of consideration as pity and he hates it. Quietly looking out for him's for the best."

Victor remained unconvinced and conflicted. "I don't like this."

Mari sighed, continuing her way out the door. "You don't have to. It's just the way things have to be."

Because whether any of them liked it or not, those two were scarily adept at getting people to play by their rules -- and while Victor might be technically cut from a similar cloth, it was obvious his intentions with Yuuri were straightforward, if not necessarily pure.

Mari finally fished out her menthols and popped one out with a flick of her wrist. Bringing it to her lips, she breathed in deep for at least a small hit of relief until she could properly light it. Movement caught the corner of her eye and she glanced through the window towards it, face settling even and blank.

A luxury car drove away from Yuutopia's entrance, dark and sharp against the dirt and green of their surroundings.

**Author's Note:**

> The Katsuki family has obtained:  
> ONE (1) future son-in-law who may or may not care for himself properly when left to his own devices;  
> ONE (1) new dog who may or may not need to be trained;  
> and ONE (1) weird, rich uncle who may or may not have killed someone. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
> 
> I guarantee nothing re: update schedules because everything is dictated on whether or not I can actually _write_ any given day, but I would like to see if there's even any interest in this. This is also the only one of these written in past-tense, as it's meant to be an emphasis on this being backstory for what's to come.
> 
> (i'm working on the ff8!au i swear)


End file.
